Therapeutic pad and protector



April 27, 1954 cH H 2,676,593

THERAPEUTIC PAD AND PROTECTOR Filed Nov. 8, 1952 Nox- A- Col INVENTOR. JAMES E. CHENEWETH.

BY Knnx& Hmm.

AGENTS.

Patented Apr. 27, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates generally to a therapeutic pad and pad protector and more particularly to a therapeutic pad and pad protector for application to chest or throat.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic pad and pad protector for the treatment of such ailments as colds in the chest or throat, neuritis, arthritis and many others.

Another object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic pad and pad protector which will retain body heat during long periods of ap plication.

Another object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic pad and pad protector which can be applied and Worn without discomfort to the wearer.

Another object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic pad and pad protector, which, when applied, will be self-adjusting to body contours and body movements.

Another object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic pad and pad protector, which will not be subject to slippage by reason of the character of the protector.

Another object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic pad and pad protector, wherein the protector is of such character that it will afford protection to said pad from soilage by perspiration or any medicinal preparation which might be used in conjunction with this invention.

Another object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic pad and pad protector, said protector being dispensible and of such. character as to be replaceable at low cost.

Another object of this invention, ancillary to the preceding objects, is to teach the best known mode of implementing the principles of the invention in carrying the invention into actual practice.

Another object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic pad and pad protector which is adapted for fabrication from many different materials, so that the choice of material can be according to the dictates of availability and price considerations, the exact sizes and proportions being matters easily determined to suit particular conditions and needs.

Another object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic pad and pad protector which is inexpensive and practicable to manufacture.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pad with a buckle which is safe to use and will not injure the wearer or his clothing.

Finally, it is an object to provide a therapeutic pad and pad protector of the aforementioned character which is simple, safe and convenient to operate, and which will give generally efiicient and durable service.

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions, as will be hereinafter fully described the specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawing which forms material part of this disclosure and wherein similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the views of the drawing, and in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation view of the device.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device.

Fig. 4-. is a top plan View showing the buckle in detail.

Referring in detail to the drawing, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, the numeral l0 denotes the sponge rubber pad, to the one corner of which is affixed, by a suitable adhesive ll, the strap 14 of fabric, webbing or other suitable material. Also secured to the same corner of the sponge rubber pad Iii, is the reinforcing patch it, which is slotted to receive the strap and which is made of soft leather or other suitable material. One end of the strap I4 is directly affixed to the pad [0 and the reinforcing patch I6 covers this end of the strap and the strap secured to the patch I 6 at the edge of the pad for additional strength. The patch it is secured to the pad EB and strap l4 by adhesive l1.

At the opposite end of the sponge rubber pad I0 is secured by the adhesive l2, the reinforcing patch l8, which is of material similar to the reinforcing patch it. The reinforcing patch I8 is afiixed to the rubber pad 1 ii and to the narrow patch l9 which is of similar material to the reinforcing patch I8. The prong type buckle 29 extends through a slot in patch is and bar 43 of the buckle fits around patch 59. The buckle 20 has a safety guard 44 pivoted to the prong bar 45 to cover the prongs and to protect the wearer and his clothing from injury by the prongs of the buckle. Any similar buckle offering like protection can be used. Any surplus length of the strap M protruding from the buckle 20, when the device is in use, is neatly retained by the leather loop 22, said loop being suitably afiixed at either end thereof, to the sponge rubber pad It by adhesive.

Indicated by the numeral 24 is the pad protector, which is of suitable character to afford adequate protection to the sponge rubber pad it from soilage by perspiration or any medicinal preparation used, and at the same time to possess a coated surface 25 of such nature that will assist in preventing slippage of the protector relative to the sponge rubber pad l9 when in contact therewith. An example of a pad protector of the character desired is a plastic coated paper which is water impervious, and coated on the other side at 2% with a soft flannel-like material to increase the coefficient of friction as well as comfort in use. In my device I make use of the frictional nature of the side indicated at 28 to prevent slippage relative to the sponge rubber. The plastic-coated surface is used with a medicament coating, in some instances, next to the body. The plastic assists in keeping the medicament in contact with the chest and in all cases retains the normal heat generated by the body. It should be noted that other materials having the general. characteristics of the material described be used in lieu thereof. That is to say, any sheet material having one frictional sur face and one water impervious surface may be used or two layers of sheet materials having these characteristics may be used.

One type of buckle to be used with my device, as shown in either Fig. 2 or Fig. 3, is shown in detail in Fig. 4. This buckle is also indicated at 29 in use with a chest pad or 38 in use with a throat pad.

Referring to Fig. 3 in particular, which illustrates the invention as a therapeutic pad and pad protector for application to the throat, the numeral 28 denotes a generally rectangular sponge rubber pad, having affixed at one end, by a suitable adhesive 39, the reinforcing patch 32, said patch 32 being of soft leather or other suitable material. The patch 32 has a plurality of slots 3% through which the strap 36 is laced, the strap being of fabric or other material of like character. The strap 35 is laced under patch 32 through opening 3d and out opening 52 through the side 53 of the buckle and on top of the throat pad as shown at 4 l. Then the strap is laced back through opening 34 under patch 32. The strap 35 is securely altered by the adhesive 39 to the patch 32 and the sponge rubber pad 28. A prong-type strap or belt buckle 33 is shown in detail in Fig. 4. The buckle 38 has a safety guard iii pivoted to the prong bar 45 to cover the ends of he prongs cc and to protect the wearer and his clothing from injury by the prongs of the buckle.

Indicated by the numeral 40 is the paper protector, said protector being similar in shape to the sponge rubber pad 28 and of a like character to the pad protector 24 hereinbefore described.

The device is applied to the part of the body to be treated so that the pad protector 24 is positioned between the sponge rubber pad l9 and the chest of the wearer with the coated surface 25 of said pad protector 24 making contact with said sponge rubber pad It. Any medicament being used is retained between the pad protector 24 and the chest. The free end of the strap I 4 is passed around the body of the wearer and secured by the buckle 20, any surplus length of said strap It being passed through and retained by the loop 22. After completion of the period of application the device is removed by the release of the strap M from the buckle 20 and, if desired, the pad protector 24 can be disposed of easily since it is of paper material.

The invention illustrated in Fig. 3 is applied in a manner similar to that described in the foregoing paragraph, the location of the buckle 38 adjacent to the attached end of the strap 36 assuring that the strap 38 will completely encircle the pad and hold the same firmly in position during use. In this embodiment only limited stretching during use need be provided for and overlapping of the ends is facilitated. The pad protector 49 retains any medicament being used between said Pad protector 40 and the neck of the wearer. The sponge rubber pad 28 encircles said pad protector 40, said sponge rubber pad 28 being in turn encircled by the strap 36, the free end of which is normally overlapped by the end carrying the buckle 38, this feature making the device automatically self-adjusting as to length to suit di ferent patients.

The operation of this invention will be clearly comprehended from a consideration of the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, taken in connection with the drawing and the above recite-:1 objects. It will be obvious that all said objects are amply achieved by this invention.

Further description would appear to be unnecessary.

It understood that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawing are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

1. In a therapeutical pad, a sponge rubber pad, a strap secured at one end to said pad, a fastener for securing the other end of said strap to said pad, a paper protector having a water impervious coating on one side and having a coating on the other side with a high frictional coefficient, and the last mentioned side of said paper engageable with said pad when the article is in use.

2. In a therapeutical pad, a rubber pad, a strap secured to one end of said pad and having a free end, a fastener at the other end of said pad to receive the free end of said strap, a disposable protector in engagement with said pad, one side of said protector having a coating thereon substantially impervious to moisture and oils, and the other side of said protector having a soft surface coating having a high frictional coefficient so that the protector is prevented from slipping relative to the pad when the article is in use.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,850,496 Chisholm Mar. 22, 1932 2,043,097 Frissell June 2, 1936 2,146,444 Roe Feb. 7, 1939 

